Letter to Secretary Thompson, Department of Health and Human Services

June 2, 2003
Hon. Tommy Thompson
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Thompson:

I am writing today to respectfully request that the Department of Health and Human Services use all of the appropriate resources the agency has to offer to execute a comprehensive health care services audit of Vieques as quickly as possible. There is a critical need to determine if the existing health care services for the people of Vieques meet their needs, and what we need to do to provide the best care and services to the people of the island.

As you may know, the US Navy owned two-thirds of Vieques, an island in Puerto Rico, until one month ago. On May 1, 2003 the Department of the Navy formally turned over their 15,587 acres on Vieques to the Department of the Interior. The Interior Department is required to develop the land for use as a wildlife refuge.

After six decades of the Navy's presence on Vieques, the people of the island report that they suffer disproportionately from cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other illnesses. After being exposed to dangerous levels of noise for decades, many suffer from hearing loss. And leading environmentalists say that the fish, crabs, seagrass and soils on and around Vieques have been contaminated with toxins - a significant problem when so many of the people of the island make their living as fishermen and base much of their diet on fish from local waters.

We need to move forward quickly to create a post-Navy Vieques that provides all the health care services its people need. I look forward to working with you so we can get the hard data we need to develop a comprehensive plan for medical care on Vieques. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator